Unsure what the schedule is for dubbed episodes... The season is still airing but only the couple episodes have been dubbed by Funimation despite them previously saying it'd be simulcasted. Going to hold off on watching the season until either a) more episodes get dubbed, or b) the season ends and I can watch the sub all at once.

Rewatching series and am at ep. 53

Slow start but got interesting around episode 7. Originally stopped watching around episode 2 because I got bored and didn't see what the point was. I'm glad I stuck it out through the first season. Cautiously but curiously proceeding onto S2.

Season one but with 80% more gore, character deaths, unanswered questions, time jumps and questionable decision making.

Some pacing issues and the shock of a character dying or being injured went away fairly quickly. I just expected people to die throughout the season, and was more surprised if they were able to ride a horse at the end of a given episode than if they got chomped on.

Also - the mystery of where the hell Eren's key is now/what it leads to from early season one was completely disregarded this season.

Yet again, cautiously but curiously proceeding. Who knows? Maybe season three will have more substantial plot and world building mixed in with the endless gore. A girl can only hope.

Better beginning than Season One and Two... So not as slow of a start. Lots more plot! Less killing off characters just for the sake of shock value. Less questionable decision making.

This season delves into more lore (finally!) and gives some answers about the world and its history. Significant plot development... this season perfected the art of giving the tiniest shred of optimism in an otherwise soul crushing world, and then dealing devastating blow after blow.

Only complaint is more of the series overall. The show withheld the majority of its plot until the second to last season, and now there is only one season remaining to both explore all of these revelations and resolve all of the remaining conflict. This leaves a very tall order for the last 16 episodes remaining for the series. Additionally, the show is expected to conclude prior to the end of the source material. This leaves some uncertainty as to how effective the anime will be in concluding the story.

Proceeding cautiously but curiously once again.

12 episodes into the final 16 episodes of the series. Not really a huge fan of this season. This season had a lot of pressure placed onto it because it is meant to be the conclusion to one of the most popular anime series of all time.

****Spoilers***


I found myself rather bored for several of the first episodes. I understand their purpose in establishing the world beyond the walls and introducing some of the characters that will play central roles in Marley. That being said - going from season three (which I'll admit was my favourite instalment of the series) to this final season felt odd. I found myself just waiting for it to be over and for **something** to finally happen that would introduce our MCs.

The battle sequence that we did get was entertaining to watch. We finally got to see the remaining titans, and it was satisfying seeing our MCs swooping in and decimating those responsible for the crises we've faced for the past 3 seasons. However with the limited episode count (as a part two hasn't been confirmed), the build up to this fight felt like it took too long.

One of the first twists of this season was Zeke's involvement in the plot against Marley. I felt rather betrayed seeing this. After watching the hard fought battle last season against the Beast titan (that we know is Zeke), and the substantial losses taken in this battle (the wholesale slaughtering of almost the entirety of the scouts, as well as the murder of Erwin), having our main characters even begrudgingly working with him felt wrong. I understand that there was a significant time jump so that battle didn't *just* happen in the AOT universe, but it still felt surprising. The eagerness of some characters this season to rally behind Zeke when he was largely to blame for the majority of the deaths over the course of this series was also surprising.

Royal or not. Revolutionary or not. The reality is that for decades Zeke worked within the Marley government, and gleefully executed whole armies in Eldia. The fact that he came armed with what Hange aptly described as a rumour yet to be proven, and some kind of "master plan" (I'll get to that in a second) shouldn't somehow negate the very real threat he posed to Eldia and arguably still does.

His master plan that we're aware of so far is to pass off the beast titan to Historia. Historia has no choice in the matter. She is to "bear as many children as possible", and be forced into becoming a titan for 13 years. After which point, one of her children will be tasked with devouring her. Eren (or whoever ends up with his titans) is to use "The Rumbling" (awakening and controlling the beasts inside the walls) to scare the shit out of the rest of the world and essentially show them that if they try to obliterate Eldia there will be consequences.

This plan is essentially a repetition of the past. The very events that Marley uses to indoctrinate its citizens and fuel their hatred for "the Eldian devils". Zeke wants to force Historia to bear children. He wants to use the power of the titans to threaten the rest of the world and force them to submit using their fear of annihilation. Eren became the very person he despised. He killed civilians and destroyed a whole city. He is now like the titans who broke through the wall and devastated his town and his family.

Gabi is a reflection of who Eren once was. She's beyond irritating to watch, but you have to ask yourself why you hate her? She has been groomed to believe that outsiders are devils, just as the Eldians came to understand that the titans were monsters. She became a child soldier (like Eren and company) to combat this. Like Eren, she watched those that she loved most get slaughtered. Eren murdered her companion while they were mid-conversation. She had to watch as another companion was trampled and his skull was completely crushed under a stampede of Eren's creation. She watched her city burn, and those she knew die right in front of her. Just as Eren did. Eren was forced to reconcile during his journey that despite vowing to kill all titans, he himself was one. Just as Gabi has to reconcile with the fact that her "devils" look like her, talk like her, and have the same blood running through their veins as her.

Gabi is easy to hate because of her devotion to killing our main characters. But she is nothing more than a repetition of who Eren was before he came to be what he is.

I'm honestly hoping that we get a part two to this season. Four episodes is not nearly enough time to not only develop Eren's movement and our understanding of his true goals, but for there to (inevitably since this **is** AoT) the graphic, gruesome, emotional battles that we're accustomed to. We have yet to see The Rumbling. We have yet to see Zeke and Eren meet (although I imagine that'll be in E13). We have yet to see the battle to end all battles. There are still mysteries that haven't been thoroughly explained (how did Eren Kruger know about Mikasa and Armin before they were even born?). How will the anime end a story that has yet to be finished?

Waiting for dub... might cave and watch subbed for now and then revisit once the dub is released.